Winter riding presents a wardrobe conundrum for mountain bikers: Do you skip the extra wind and abrasion protection of your baggies and go with just winter cycling tights (or leg warmers that inevitably slip down as you pedal)? Do you sacrifice fashion points and go with that awkward baggies-over-tights look? Or do you wear knee pads for some nominal insulation and resign yourself to exposed calves?

This dilemma is why more riders are wearing pants on the trails in cold weather. We’ve been testing Gore’s new C5 Women Gore Windstopper Trail Pant, and can highly recommend this piece as a winter staple.

Trevor Raab

These pants feature light, windproof, and water repellant Gore Windstopper fabric on the front and a stretchy, breathable polyester blend around the back and lower half of the legs. A button and zipper closure provide structure, while an elastic waistband makes the fit comfy like tailored pajamas. The pants are fitted enough to look flattering and avoid catching on your chainring, but roomy enough to fit over bib shorts or tights (there is no built-in chamois, so you don’t have to wash after every wear).

The pants are articulated for the riding position, meaning there’s extra room around the knees, so there’s no constriction when you’re pedaling. The Windstopper fabric effectively cuts windchill on the thighs and the knees, so I felt cozy on both the trail and the road, even when temperatures dipped to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and brutal winds made it feel even colder, and when temps hit 13 degrees on one night gravel ride. In all instances, I was noticeably warmer than I would have been in tights alone, or in baggies and tights. At the same time, the materials and construction are breathable, so there’s no sweating or clamminess. The stretchy material enabled the pants to stay in place when I was pedaling, and to avoid catching on the saddle when I was moving around on technical terrain. All these features contribute to pants that stay so cozy, comfortable, and dry that I kept finding myself sitting in them after coming home, instead of rushing to change out of cold, damp tights like I normally would.

Though the Windstopper material is water repellant, these pants are not waterproof, as one tester discovered during a three-hour ride in light rain. Even so, she noted, “They got pretty wet over the thighs, but I never felt uncomfortable or cold.” And the stretchy material is not windproof on its own, so on one long, cold road descent when I was wearing capris underneath, I could feel the cold air on my shins and calves, where there weren’t two layers of fabric. If you do more winter road riding, you might opt for something like the Gore C3 Windstopper Pant, which uses the Windstopper material throughout. But for trail riding, I found the C5 trail pants to be so comfortable in a variety of conditions that it’s more or less put my winter tights out of commission.

Gloria LiuContributing Writer, Bicycling & Runner’s WorldGloria Liu is a writer-at-large, and formerly the features and gear editor at Bicycling.

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